Not Enough Can Be Said About John Baumann

Over the past two years—four seasons—one Columbia athlete has caught the attention of a media outlet—the New York Times—and the adoration of many Columbia fans. But, there may never be enough credit that this athlete deserves.

He is a three-time All-Ivy League basketball player, an All-Metropolitan basketball player, and an All-Ivy League baseball player. While John Baumann’s accomplishments have surpassed most Columbia athletes, his leadership and ability to do whatever it takes to win is what sometimes is ignored.

While the recent successes of both the basketball and baseball teams—the basketball team compiled .500 Ivy League records in back-to-back seasons and the baseball team currently leads the Gehrig Division—cannot be attributed entirely to Baumann, he has led both teams over the past two seasons.

Baumann has been Columbia’s basketball team captain over the past two seasons. He began developing as the squad’s go-to player as a sophomore, when he averaged 13.7 points per game and was named to the second-team All-Ivy League. However, his development, through hours in the weight room and on the court, really stood out over his final two seasons. Baumann led Columbia to its most wins (16) since 1992-3 as a junior and continued the success this season. Over his last two seasons, which saw Baumann selected to the first-team All-Ivy and finish arguably as the Most Valuable Player this year, he led the Lions in nearly every category. Baumann produced 14.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while playing 30 minutes per contest. He also led the Ivy League over that stretch in field-goal percentage (54.3 percent).

On the mound, Baumann has improved drastically over the past two seasons. While he was a solid contributor during his freshman and sophomore campaigns, Baumann’s ability to balance both basketball and baseball has really been noticeable over his past two years on the diamond. In these two seasons, he has accumulated a 7-3 record—second in wins, despite missing much of the nonconference schedule to focus on basketball—and a 3.92 ERA, while throwing five complete games. His other numbers, a 1.22 WHIP (walks/hits per innings pitched) and a .246 batting average against, are also phenomenal. One must wonder, how good would the 6’8” right-hander be if he just focused on baseball?

Playing both sports appears to be rather difficult, particularly for a pitcher, since basketball does not do much to develop arm strength. Yet Baumann has found a way to work around the fact that he does not possess an overpowering fastball on the baseball field. The combination of the two sports actually seems to help him. It keeps him in a competitive mindset throughout the season, which is imperative for a pitcher, while allowing him to work out throughout the entire year. His leadership and determination on the hardwood translates most into his effectiveness on the mound.

When one watches Baumann on the basketball court, it is commonplace to see him on the floor diving for loose balls and being the most vocal leader on the court. This same mentality has helped him immensely on the mound. While he cannot literally dive on the field, he puts all he has into pitching, which—in addition to his smarts on the mound—allows him to be an effective pitcher. While heart is an immeasurable category in terms of statistics, Baumann must lead the Ivy League in it, during both the baseball and basketball seasons.

What is most impressive about John Baumann is that in spite of being one of the best in both sports, he maintains a very even demeanor, which reflects positively with his teammates. John Baumann is the type of athlete, as his coaches here at Columbia have said, that any coach dreams of. And, this is just as important as his statistical dominance on the mound and on the hardwood.